


Accepting the Torch

by greyone01



Series: 25 Days of Damerey 2018 [7]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: DameRey, F/M, Friendship/Love, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Mentioned Han Solo, Mentioned Leia Organa, Mentioned Luke Skywalker, Partnership, damerey is endgame, implied future relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-09
Updated: 2018-12-09
Packaged: 2019-09-14 22:33:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16921680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greyone01/pseuds/greyone01
Summary: With their mentors gone, Poe Dameron and Rey come to an agreement on the business of carrying on with the fight.





	Accepting the Torch

**Author's Note:**

> Day 7 of 25 Days of Damerey

“I’m serious, Connix, I really don’t mind doing another shift,” Commander Poe Dameron appraised the lieutenant as she stood in command. Lieutenant Kaydel Ko Connix, dependable as ever, was rostered to do the shift nobody wanted – night shift on the eve of Life Day. Most, if not all, of the Resistance fighters, have already started celebrations in the building’s great hall. Poe was not really in the mood to celebrate this year.

“Thank you, sir, but I volunteered for this shift,” Connix replied, her somber tone betraying that, like Poe, she was not in a celebratory mood. “I need to do this, Commander,” she said in an almost pleading manner.

Poe’s demeanor softened. He knew that the loss of General Leia Organa, a few days after last year’s Life Day, had greatly affected everyone in the Resistance, but to those close to her, like Connix, who was practically her shadow, it was heartbreaking. Poe himself was struggling – he felt like he lost his mother all over again, and since he had been appointed to take Leia’s place in the chain of command, he felt massively inadequate for the role. As much as he felt that he needed to keep busy, he understood Connix, and he knew he had to give this to her. “Well, then, Life Day cheers to you, Lieutenant,” he nodded, giving her a small smile. “Command’s all yours.”

Connix smiled at him gratefully, quickly averting her eyes but Poe knew her well enough to know that she’s struggling to keep her composure. Not wanting to give her a hard time about it, he quickly left the room and gave her the privacy he knew she wanted. He’ll have to deal with his issues somewhere else.

The building was blessedly empty, his footsteps the only sounds as he walked aimlessly away from the command center. He allowed himself to get lost in his thoughts, deciding he would skip the celebrations tonight. Eventually, he found himself pausing before one of the side exits of the building. It didn’t surprise him that his subconscious brought him there.

The door led to a small area enclosed by boulders, a nice grassy place that provided a natural private space. It was Leia’s favorite place in the base, and she often jokingly referred to it as her second office. Eventually, it became common knowledge to everyone on base, and being the respected leader that she was, everyone made sure it remained her sanctuary. It was the first place Poe went to when he found out Leia was gone. Over the next few days, it became the unofficial memorial to the greatest leader most of them had ever had. Eventually, people also started leaving tributes to Luke Skywalker and Han Solo, both of whom had gone before Leia did. Poe just let it be, because obviously, he wasn’t the only to see the three as the Trinity of the Rebellion, the heroes that brought the Empire down. He felt they deserved a more permanent memorial, but the war rages on.

At this time of the night, the only light to the memorial was moonlight and the sliver of light from the doorway Poe opened. From where he stood, he saw that the place was empty save for a lone figure leaning against one of the bigger boulders scattered all over the place. She had her arms crossed across her abdomen, and while she didn’t acknowledge his presence, he knew that she was aware of his presence. He closed the door behind him and let his eyes adjust to the darkness.

“It’s just me,” he said as he walked to join her.

“I know,” Rey replied, unmoving. They stood side by side in silence, aware of how much the other needed to be there. It wasn’t the first time one of them found the other there.

“This will be my first Life Day without her, since I joined the Resistance,” Poe said softly. 

“Same,” Rey replied, and Poe couldn’t help but give a small chuckle with her blunt honesty. They fell into comfortable silence again. It was Rey who broke the silence after a while. “She really loved Life Day, didn’t she?”

“Yeah,” Poe nodded. “It was her favorite holiday. She loved parties, and with the war, there wasn’t enough opportunities for that. Life Day was one of those times she made sure we celebrate, regardless of how bad the situation was.”

“I wish I had known her longer,” Rey remarked. She seemed to hug herself tighter. “I wish I had known all three of them longer.”

Poe didn’t know what to say. Leia was perhaps the only one he truly knew of the three, everything he knew of Luke Skywalker and Han Solo were from stories Leia shared. He hadn’t even met either of the two men.

“I should’ve stayed in Ach-To,” she said softly, not hiding the regret she was felt. “I shouldn’t have allowed myself to be manipulated by Snoke and Kylo Ren, I should’ve…”

“Stop, Rey!” Poe turned to her, his tone firm but not sharp. “Carrying on like that will lead you to the same path that almost destroyed me.” 

“I’m sorry,” Rey hung her head. “Sometimes, I just can’t help it.”

“I know,” Poe pushed himself off the boulder they were both leaning on. He moved to stand in front of Rey. Reaching forward, he gently nudged her chin up until she was looking at him. “Hey, trust me, I know,” he told her. “When you start thinking like that, those thoughts are going to hound you. Non-stop.” He paused, his eyes locking onto hers. In the dim light, he could see the same despair he used to see all the time when he looks in the mirror. Despair that he still sees occasionally. “You know what I do when that happens?”

She shrugged, but didn’t look away. He gave her a small smile. “I think about something a very wise friend once told me,” he continued. “She pointed out the obvious to me – there was nothing I could do to change what I’ve already done. But I could still do something now to change the future. Learn from the mistakes and move forward.”

Rey couldn’t help but smile as he repeated the words she said to him shortly after Crait, when they were barely friends and were both struggling with the after-effects of the choices they made and the experiences they went through. He returned her smile with wink, “You might know her. She may be younger than me by a margin, but definitely wiser. Such an extraordinary person.”

She was thankful for the darkness, because even if she gets compliments quite often from him and from friends, she doesn’t think she’ll ever get used to be on the receiving end of those. He knew this, and as always, he would attempt to make her less uncomfortable. “She’s by far more good-looking than I am, too.” Those words made her laugh outright. 

“You’re just messing with me, now, Dameron,” Rey laughed. “There’s no one, absolutely no one, more good-looking than you. Even with all your scruff and gray hair.”

“Nice of you to think so, but I meant what I said,” Poe grinned. When their laughter died down, he found her looking at him pensively. “What are you thinking now?”

“You know, maybe we can do this,” she reflected, her tone all serious. “I have no doubt you’ll do well in carrying on what Leia didn’t get a chance to see through.” 

“You really think so?” Poe looked at her hopefully, wanting her to know that it truly mattered to him what she thought. 

“I know so,” Rey nodded. “And I seem to recall a really good friend, the best actually, telling me that I can be to the Resistance what Leia was hoping Luke would be. So maybe if we do this together, we could carry on their fight and actually win it for them.”

“And for us,” Poe added, his heart warming with how Rey had taken to heart what he told her when she was very much doubting her role in the Resistance. When his eyes met hers again, he could see fiery determination had taken the place of despair. “This is now as much our fight as it was theirs.”

“For us,” Rey agreed.

With those words, they felt something change in the air around them. Suddenly, things do seem as bleak as they were just moments ago. The mantles entrusted to them do not seem as burdensome now that they’ve both agreed to work together. Poe held out an open hand to her, and without hesitation, she placed her hand in his, sealing their partnership. The heroes of the Rebellion may be gone, but their fight continues.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm way behind schedule, but there will be 25! Thanks for the continued support!


End file.
